Officine Panerai inaugurates exclusive Doha boutique in Qatar

The new Panerai boutiques will open in Doha (Qatar), Beirut (Lebanon), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Geneva (Switzerland) and Macao (China). The expansion concerns both recent and fast-growing markets - such as China and the Middle East - and a place of ancient watch-making traditions like Geneva, where the boutique will be inaugurated in the prestigious Rue du Rhône.

One of the first boutiques to open will be in Doha, Qatar, in partnership with Ali Bin Ali Group, the Qatar-based group specializing in the luxury, real estate and travel sectors.

With its vast oilfields and immense natural gas reserves, the State of Qatar has in recent times become the scene of fabulous and wide-ranging development. The capital Doha, an ancient town on the Persian Gulf, is both a commercial hub and an international destination for jet-set tourism. The state's Tourism Master Plan allocated 15 billion dollars for the construction of luxury resorts and hotels, museums, libraries, theme parks and to expand the already remarkable Qatar Airways.

The Doha Panerai Boutique is opening its doors in the highly ambitious Villaggio Mall, the largest and most luxurious Shopping Center in Qatar, a magnificent complex stretching out over 150,000 square metres which can boast among its attractions an immense sky-like ceiling, a series of architectural details inspired by the Italian Renaissance and a system of Venetian-style navigable canals.

The interior of the Doha Panerai Boutique is characterised by a design taking its inspiration from the sea, the element that has always accompanied the growth of the company, whose watches were originally conceived for use at great underwater depths.

Among the materials used in the Boutique's creation, teak and steel are predominant. These are used against wire mesh panels, back-painted walls recreating the surface of the water, and sketches and graphic inventions stylizing the shape of the watches themselves. Sinuous display units that take on the shape of ocean waves, furnishing details that echo diving suits and divers' equipment, and porthole-shaped windows recalling fine yacht fittings all form part of a nautical style that is appealing and minimal at the same time.

The complete collection presented at the Doha Boutique will focus on the models fitted with movements of exclusive Panerai manufacture, among which the much sought-after Radiomir Tourbillon GMT, the Luminor 1950 Tourbillon and the Luminor 1950 Chrono Monopulsante.

Commenting on the global expansion, Angelo Bonati, CEO, Officine Panerai, said:

"For Officine Panerai, opening new mono-brand boutiques not only means growth for the brand but it also means making the distribution of Panerai watches is ever more targeted and exclusive. This is possible through the creation of locations where we can offer a wider selection of products and services, allowing our customers to experience the world of Officine Panerai and its long history, as well as promoting the initiatives through which we want to keep the legend of this historical Italian brand alive."

Panerai watches command a growing wave of interest of the highest level in the global market and are the result of research that stems from over 150 years of history. Since its origins in Florence in the mid-nineteenth century, Officine Panerai has been focusing on the technological innovation of its creations, watchmaking gems that combine the sound precision of their mechanisms with a captivating aesthetic impact and which are today sought after by enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world.